Monday, March 3, 2008

My Guitar Gently Weeps

Today I mourn the loss of guitarist Jeff Healey, who died yesterday after a life-long battle with cancer. His trademark style of holding his guitar across his lap was more than a just gimmick, as he was robbed of his eyesight when he was a baby. He picked up the guitar at 3 years of age and seldom put it down since. Blind or not, he could "play the guitar just like ringing a bell". It was his rock & blues work that drew me to him. "See the Light" is easily one of the best rock/blues albums of the 90's. Together with Johnny Lang and Kenny Wayne Sheppard, Healey helped keep the genre alive into the next millennium. I was excited to hear that he was about to release his first rock and blues recording in eight years, "Mess of Blues." I'm still anxious to hear the album, though I am so sorry I missed the chance to see him play in person.

Jeff Healey was 41. He leaves behind a wife, two children, and a bunch of reasons to keep playin' the blues.